Essay Essentials Self-Paced Class
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    Course Details:

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    • Pre-recorded video lessons
    • Learners Work at Their Own Pace
    • 2-3 hours of weekly work with teacher feedback
    • 1 seat per section
    • Homework is assigned
    • Formal grades
    • Materials

    The teacher will provide all materials. Students will need to use Google Docs.

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    Essay Essentials: More Than the 5-Paragraph Essay+

    $89.00

    In this 6-week self-paced class, students learn to independently generate, organize, and express elaborated ideas in an effective expository essay. Students receive explicit instruction, teacher modeling, and guidance toward mastery of skills.

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    Description

    More Than a 5-Paragraph Essay!

    Many students know how to write an organized five-paragraph essay, but they struggle to generate ideas that fully support their thesis. They aren’t quite sure how to develop body paragraphs that are clear, fully elaborated, and effective. Writing an introduction and conclusion that are more than just a couple of sentences seems impossible. While students will certainly learn how to organize an essay, the skills taught in this class will equip learners to embrace any writing task with gusto and skill. Students gain confidence as writers when they are explicitly taught how to do something, followed by guidance and feedback on their independent practice. Students must understand and master these foundational writing skills for future success in high school, college, and work. Mrs. Lemons works with students asynchronously (no live classes) so that they improve their writing, both for function and style.

    Class Type:

    This course is a self-paced interactive essay writing course. There are no live meetings, but students interact with Mrs. Lemons each week through the classroom. They watch video lessons by Mrs. Lemons and respond by submitting homework and assignments, which are graded. Learners also engage with interactively designed course pathways, guiding them along toward mastery of essay writing!

    Workload & Assessment:

    Students will have roughly two hours of work per week and receive authentic and constructive feedback from the instructor that helps them correct their mistakes and fine-tune their writing skills. Held to a high standard of academic writing, students receive grades as they master writing competencies and standards. Learners, along with their parents, need to know how they’re doing!

     

    Lesson Schedule

    Course Syllabus:

    Week 1–Students learn to differentiate between various genres of writing. They will annotate example essays to see how they are structured and organized. Direct instruction includes aspects of expository, narrative, and opinion writing as well as the organization of an expository piece.

    Week 2 and 3–Students learn how body paragraphs are structured, with topic sentences, concluding sentences, and organized ideas. Direct instruction includes how to generate ideas using brainstorming, sorting, two rules of thumb, and four elaboration techniques. Writing is thinking, and the skill of organizing thoughts is important. Students also learn how to generate research questions and then find answers, a process that improves their essay’s ideas and interest level. Students practice these techniques then they write their own body paragraphs independently, all while receiving helpful feedback from the instructor.

    Week 4–Students learn how to use Google Documents to write their essays. They learn to create a header, heading, and how to follow the formatting rules in the MLA style guide. They use this week to write the body paragraphs of their essays.

    Week 5–Students learn the most difficult components of the essay: the introduction and conclusion They learn six different techniques for hooking their readers, how to write an effective thesis statement, and how to bridge the gap between the lead and thesis statement. Students practice writing introductions, and they write their own introductions independently with helpful feedback from the instructor. Students learn how to write a concluding paragraph that leaves their reader thinking by using four different techniques. Writers practice these techniques, and they write their own conclusions independently.

    Week 6–Students will learn how to write a Works Cited page. This extra week gives students time to revise and edit their essays after receiving feedback from Mrs. Lemons.

    Class Introduction Video

    Coming soon…

    Taught From a Christian Perspective

    Our mission is to equip learners’ minds and shepherd their hearts. We want them to have saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and then develop a biblical worldview. This means they view their world, themselves, and God in a way that aligns with what the Bible teaches. This brings great peace and understanding to the believer because we serve a good, sovereign God. This course is taught with these goals in mind. In class, we may pray, read scripture, and discuss how to view the content from a Christian perspective.

    We have adopted The Master’s Seminary Doctrinal Statement.

    ENGLISH:

    The most essential reason people must become competent readers is to read the word of God. This is how God communicates with His people, and literacy is critical for developing a biblical worldview. Competent readers can engage in the Word of God and other texts with much thinking and reflection. Readers should be able to decode, understand, remember, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, make inferences, make connections, and apply learning from reading to other subject areas and the rest of life. Readers grow in knowledge and wisdom and can let the Word of God renew their minds and transform their hearts, becoming thinkers who can engage the world for Christ.

    When writing, we are turning ideas into words that communicate. Written communication should be functional, truthful, orderly, coherent, creative, and beautiful, all traits present in God’s written words in the Bible, which we want to emulate.

    Communication skills are essential for believers. The communication skills taught in English will help learners communicate with others and to be confident public speakers. These skills are essential when sharing the gospel message. Our voices are tools that help us show Jesus to others as we witness to the world through what we say–and what we don’t say (see Colossians 4:6, James 1:19-20, Ephesians 4:29, and Proverbs 10:19). We serve a creative God who has given us all kinds of tools to help communicate His message.

    LITERATURE:

    Stories often serve as powerful vehicles for truth. For example, the prophet Nathan used a parable to reveal King David’s sin in 1 Samuel 12:1-4. Similarly, Jesus frequently used parables to teach profound spiritual lessons. Literature clearly offers timeless insights that reflect the complexities of life, guiding us toward His wisdom and understanding.

    All truth is God’s truth. Even unbelievers use universal themes in their writing that clearly point to deeper truths about life and the human condition. For example, authors often use theme concepts related to justice, love, or integrity. These concepts reveal a glimpse of God’s truth– whether the author acknowledges it or not–because all truth originates from God (John 17:17).

    Throughout English and literature courses, learners will read about individuals who made flawed decisions. As Romans 3:23 reminds us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Literature provides a window into humanity’s fallen nature, allowing students to learn from the mistakes and successes of characters. By engaging with literature, students will gain timeless insights into the complexities of life, as reflected in Proverbs 2:6: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

    MATH:

    God has created our brains with the ability to study and comprehend amazing, complex things! Math is such a unique subject to study and master. We can see math in God’s creation, and we can appreciate His order through the complex skills we learn.

    CODING / TECH:

    The fact that humans have the knowledge and ingenuity to create something as complex as the Internet and the various languages and protocols that make it work is a testament to God’s role as the Creator. It is further proof that we were created in His image and given just a small fraction of His abilities to serve as stewards of His world.

    MUSIC:

    Celebrating God’s Creation Through Music

    Music is a beautiful part of God’s creation. Students learn to appreciate its complexity and beauty, reflecting Psalm 150:4, “Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; praise Him with the strings and pipe.”

    Using Talents for God’s Glory

    Inspired by the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), this course encourages children to discover and develop their musical gifts, teaching them to use these talents to glorify God and serve others.

    Building a Musical Community

    Reflecting Romans 12:4-5, group activities foster a sense of unity and teamwork, helping students appreciate and respect each other’s musical abilities.

    Expressing Faith Through Music

    Colossians 3:16 guides students to use their musical skills for worship, enhancing their participation in church and personal devotion, making music a powerful form of expressing their faith.

    Developing Musical Discipline

    Hebrews 12:11 highlights the importance of discipline. Consistent practice in music teaches perseverance and dedication, valuable traits for spiritual growth and character development.

    Embracing God’s Creativity

    Ephesians 2:10 encourages creativity. Through composing and performing music, students reflect the creative nature of God, understanding their musical creations as a reflection of His image.

    A Holistic Musical Journey

    Musical Explorers integrates musical education with biblical principles, nurturing both musical skills and spiritual growth. Your child will grow as a musician and a young believer, equipped to see and appreciate the world from a biblical perspective through the lens of music. Join us on this enriching journey!

    SPANISH:

    Nelson Mandela once said, “If you speak to a man in a language he understands, you speak to his head. If you speak to him in his language, you speak to his heart.” The purpose of learning a language is to communicate, which means knowing vocabulary, phrases, and verbal and non-verbal cues to meet needs and share ideas with those who speak the language. There are many benefits to learning a second language, such as increasing memory and attention span, opening more career options, and even improving cognition in the later years of life. While these reasons matter, at Lemons-Aid, our top focus in learning a language is to meet the Great Commission as stated in Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV),

    Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The ability to speak two or more languages widens the ministry field and helps create better connections and meaning for people.

    SCIENCE

    Our mission is to equip learners’ minds with knowledge of God’s creation. Each lesson features a Bible verse about God’s creation and the lesson topic. This allows students to learn more about the world while ensuring they develop a Biblical worldview. Through learning about and appreciating God’s creation, we learn more about God and grow closer to him. Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things were created through him and for him.” All creation points to God, as Psalm 1:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

    ENTREPRENEURSHIP:

    These courses help learners view entrepreneurship through the lens of God’s design for creativity, stewardship, and serving others. From a biblical perspective, entrepreneurship is more than just making money—it’s about using our God-given talents to meet the needs of others, solve problems, and bring value to the world. Genesis 1:27 reminds us that we are made in God’s image, and just as God is the ultimate Creator, He has gifted us with the ability to create and work with purpose.

    Throughout our entrepreneurship and business courses, students learn how to take the gifts and passions God has given them and turn those into something that serves others, echoing the command in 1 Peter 4:10 to “use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” As they develop their business ideas, they are encouraged to think about how their product or service can be a blessing to their community, reflecting the biblical call to love and serve our neighbors.

    The deeper significance lies in realizing that business, like every other aspect of life, can be an act of worship and a way to fulfill God’s command to work diligently (Colossians 3:23), honor Him with our resources (Proverbs 3:9), and love others through service (Galatians 5:13).

    THEATER:

    Communication skills are essential for believers. The skills taught in this class will help learners gain confidence in speaking in front of others. These skills are essential when sharing the gospel message. Theater helps learners prepare for the unexpected. Likewise, 2 Timothy 4:2 tells us to be “instant in season and out.” We never know when God will give us an opportunity to share his message with others! Our voices are tools which help us show Jesus to others as we witness to the world through what we say–and what we don’t say (see Colossians 4:6, James 1:19-20, Ephesians 4:29, and Proverbs 10:19). We serve a creative God who has given us all kinds of tools to help communicate His message.

    SOCIAL STUDIES (history, government, economics):

    The world of social studies is filled with ideas, some from the recent past and some that reach back millennia. No matter where an idea originates, we as Christians are commanded to take those ideas captive, test them, and compare them to the Word of God to see if they can stand up to the scrutiny of truth (2 Corinthians 10:5, 1 John 4:1, and Acts 17:11). In our social studies classes, we use the Socratic method to encourage and equip students to capture, test, and scrutinize the ideas they encounter.

    In history, we encounter new ideas and study how those ideas have influenced the course of human events both for good and for evil. We see how different cultures and belief systems (such as Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) address the issues of human origin, identity, meaning, morality, and destiny, and we hold the answers each one presents up to the light of Scripture to see if there is any fault in them. By studying the effects of sin on human history (war, slavery, discrimination, and more), we learn to value human life, because every person who has ever lived reflects the image of God (Genesis 1:26).

    In government and economics, we discover that God infused all of creation with a healthy structure for human life and flourishing, concepts known as natural law and natural rights. We contrast these ideas and Scripture itself with humanistic ideas (such as Marxism) that short-circuit God’s design and result in human suffering. Studying these ideas equips students with the tools they need to live as responsible, Christlike citizens and to make sound, biblically based decisions in the civic and economic realms.

    ✨ 🍋 ✨ Why Lemons-Aid? ✨ 🍋 ✨

    A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW: The Bible, infallible and inerrant, is the very written word of God, who has revealed Himself to man. The Bible is like the light we cast on all content areas in order to understand it, whether that be literature, physical science, history, or geometry. Students learn all content through a Biblical lens. Theology is important for understanding all subject areas. We carefully curate courses that capture learners’ imagination while pointing them to God through sound doctrine. THIS is most important!

    EXPLICIT TEACHING: We understand the skills and concepts students need to learn and know how to teach them. Lemons-Aid’s materials are top-notch, organized, and clear for students and parents to understand. We are especially skilled at breaking down a complicated process into understandable parts. Further, explicit instruction is “a structured, systematic, and effective methodology for teaching academic skills. It is called explicit because it is an unambiguous and direct approach to teaching that includes both instructional design and delivery procedures. Explicit instruction is characterized by a series of supports or scaffolds, whereby students are guided through the learning process with clear statements about the purpose and rationale for learning the new skill, clear explanations and demonstrations of the instructional target, and supported practice with feedback until independent mastery has been achieved.”

    • Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching by Anita L. Archer and Charles A. Hughes.

    Anita Archer trained Mrs. Lemons in workshops, and it changed her teaching. Read a little more about the research behind explicit teaching here and here.

    STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY = ACHIEVEMENT: Students master skills with us and make gains. We have a high degree of accountability. Since we make promises here and parents are paying good money, we understand you trust us to work! Students have to work too, and let’s be honest: they’re kids and don’t always want to. We push it. We teach them how to stay engaged, we cold-call on kids, we tell them to use the chatbox, and we want them to use emojis! If they are resistant, we contact the student through the teacher tab first. If that doesn’t work, we call in the big guns–Mom and Dad. We want kids to learn. We don’t want them to pass through our classes without gaining skills and doing great learning.

    DO HARD THINGS. Boost your confidence, master new skills, learn new concepts. This takes a commitment to do hard things. Like the standards we have for our teachers, we also expect our learners to do hard things, whether that means they stand firm in their convictions, learn geometry, write an essay, or give an oral presentation. You can do hard things!

    HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS: To balance our high expectations for their learning and behavior, we build relationships with them. We want them to know we care about and know them. We’ll ask about their play last weekend or the new trick they’re trying to master on the skateboard. We also want students to get to know each other and encourage community engagement.

     

    TEACHER FEEDBACK: The back-and-forth work between a student and teacher significantly benefits a student if done well. We follow best practices in designing class time, assignments, and routines. According to Pennington Publishing, effective writing feedback (or grading) is:

    • Specific, not general
    • Immediate, not postponed
    • Routine with a revision / feedback cycle
    • Explanatory
    • The right amount
    • Targeted to the most critical issues
    • Varied (written, audio, and video comments)
    • Holding students accountable

     

    GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS: Students need graphic organizers to help them see the structure and breakdown of a concept or process. For example, we use them to help learners understand how to write a paragraph or essay and to use the writing process. This is how they learn to develop coherent ideas. They don’t figure out how to do this magically; the graphic organizers and the intentional, explicit teaching help them learn the skills!

    STUDENT MASTERY: Each class includes explicit, direct instruction with teacher modeling. Students are guided toward mastery of skills and understandings to grasp the concepts and become independent. Students are held to a high standard of academic work, including often ignored skills like the use of grammar and neatness in math.

     

    CUSTOMER SERVICE

    We serve the Lord and we work hard for families. We work to give quick responses to questions, authentic and careful feedback, and to solve any conflict. As home educators ourselves, familiar with the joys and struggles of teaching our own children, we can relate! We are supporting families, equipping learners, and serving Christ. We are 100% devoted to Him and to you!

    To read more about our teaching and learning methods, read our blogs, written by our teachers and staff.

    The Lemons-Aid Team

    Lemons-Aid teachers have a few things in common.
    ❤️ They love their students and value each of their unique strengths and personalities that make our classes special. Our classes can be described as fun, personal, academic, challenging, and supportive.
    🤩 We work to keep learners engaged, so there is always a degree of student accountability for their attention and focus, whether that be through asking them direct questions or by using the chatbox.
    💭 We know all kids can learn, but sometimes things are hard! To support students, we teach them how to develop effective thinking and learning habits that will bring them success in class and in life.
    🌟 Building relationships with students so they know we care about them helps us balance the high expectations we have for them regarding their effort, work quality, and behavior. Our students are encouraged, cared for, and they achieve!

    𝙆𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙉 𝙇𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙎: English Language Arts
    #High-Energy #Skilled #Experienced #Relational #Fun #Faithful
    Karen is the Founder of Lemons-Aid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English, a minor in Education, and a master’s degree in Education Administration from Liberty University. With a teaching certificate and a principal’s license in both Washington and Colorado, she has many years of experience teaching English Language Arts and History / Social Studies at the middle school and high school levels. Additionally, she is TESOL and TEFL certified and enjoys teaching English Language Learners from all over the world. She has worked in private and public schools at every level and is currently an affiliate faculty member at Colorado Christian University, supervising teacher candidates in their undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs. She is a teacher of teachers. A homeschool mom herself, she admits that teaching other people’s kids is easier than teaching her own teenage boys! She lives in the Denver, Colorado area where she cheers on the Broncos, Avs, and the Rockies, but her favorite athletes are her own kids who play hockey and baseball!

     

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    High School Writing Series

    This class is part of a series that prepares students to do dual enrollment college classes or are entering college. The series gets progressively more difficult and are scheduled in order. You can still jump in whenever you’d like! Completion of all of these classes, which takes about 6 months will cover all necessary high school writing! They make up a complete high school writing plan.